Self-assembling Suture Anchor Coplanar Bone Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional suture anchor devices struggle when bone quality is compromised due to decreased bone mineral density, making it difficult to achieve sufficient purchase in patients with certain diseases or older patients.
Innovation Solution
A self-assembling suture anchor assembly comprising a main suture strand and suture arms with anchor elements that transition from a delivery configuration, allowing passage through bone, to a deployed configuration where they are oriented coplanar and secured to the bone surface, providing stable fixation even in low-quality bone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional suture anchor devices are used, then the anchor relies on bone quality for sufficient purchase, but bone mineral density decreases with age or disease compromising bone strength
Solution Approach 1:
The suture anchor assembly is divided into multiple independent suture anchor elements (e.g., three elements) that can be deployed separately. Each element can be independently positioned and secured against the bone surface, allowing the system to distribute mechanical loads across multiple anchor points rather than relying on a single anchor's purchase in compromised bone.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture anchor elements transition from a linear delivery configuration to a coplanar deployed configuration where multiple elements are arranged in a plane parallel to the bone surface. This dimensional change allows the elements to create a distributed anchoring system that leverages surface area and geometric arrangement rather than solely relying on deep bone purchase.
2Stability of the object's composition
If suture anchor elements are deployed in a coplanar configuration parallel to bone surface, then stable fixation is achieved, but the elements must transition from delivery configuration through deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The suture anchor assembly incorporates dynamic reconfigurability, allowing the elements to transition between a compact linear delivery configuration and an expanded coplanar deployed configuration. The elements are connected via suture arms that enable movement and repositioning during deployment, allowing the system to adapt its geometry based on the surgical context.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture anchor elements are designed to self-assemble into the coplanar configuration through their interconnection via suture arms. The deployment process utilizes the tensioning of suture strands to automatically arrange the elements in the stable coplanar configuration without requiring complex external assembly mechanisms or manual positioning of each element.
3Reliability
If multiple suture anchor elements are used in coplanar arrangement, then secure attachment is achieved regardless of bone quality, but the assembly must maintain configuration during delivery and deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The suture anchor elements are nested within each other during delivery, with the elements arranged linearly and compactly along the delivery path. This nested configuration allows the multiple elements to pass through the bone opening as a single unit without interfering with each other, and the elements are released from this nested state during deployment to achieve the coplanar arrangement.
Data Source
AI summary
A suture anchor assembly includes a main suture strand, a plurality of suture arms, and a plurality of suture anchor elements connected to the main suture strand by a suture arm. The suture anchor elements are configured to rest against a cortex of a bone to provide an anchor when they are in a deployed configuration. The suture anchor assemblies can be employed in place of or in addition to traditional suture anchors. The assemblies, kits, and methods described herein can be utilized in a variety of procedures and locations in the body where anchoring a graft or tissue adjacent a bone is desired, including, for example, rotator cuff repair and ligament (e.g., the anterior cruciate ligament or ACL) reconstruction and/or repair.